VESPA MMXIII: THE WASP STIRS

After maintaining a steady lineup for the past few years, Vespa has stirred things up for 2013. No, the radical new 946 won’t be here for another year or more, and no Vespa hasn’t slipped their new 3-valve 150cc engine into any North American models, but at least there’s something to get excited about. Consider 2013 to be the prequel, the warmup, to the bigger news announcements that lay in the years ahead. First off, all of the models from 2012 are back. Besides the new pigments, the LX (50 & 150), S (50 & 50) and GTS (300 and 300 Super) have all been nearly identically reincarnated. Also

back are the collectors ‘V’ variants of the LX and GTS -known as the LXV and GTV respectively. So what’s new? Well, a few tweaks, some new colors and a pretty neat ’Sport SE’ trim version of the S and GTS.

The ‘tweaks’ to the existing Vespas are focused on the S and LX. Both of these scooters receive new ‘horn guards’ (think grills) and additional

Vespa logos on the handgrips and floorboard. The instrumentation has also been revised, with the S boasting classy blacked out and easier to clear gauges, while the LX 150 enjoying a freshening of the instruments style.Colors

Vespa has made quite a few changes to their color offerings for 2013. You can delve into all the color details over at Vespa’s website and I’ll highlight the main ones here. The Vespa S is no longer available in titanium and Satin black has become exclusively available on the Sport SE variant of the S. The LX gets a new Aquamarine option and black is back. The upscale LXV trades Portofino green for a new ‘Sienna Ivory’ shade.

The larger GTS scooters also get new clothes. The regular GTS 300 trades Plum for Bronze, while the Super trades Titanium for Dragon Red. The new GTS 300 Super Sport SE comes in exclusively Satin black, like it’s S counterpart. Also like it’s smaller sibling, the GTV trades its green pigment option for a new ‘Sienna Ivory’ tint.

Sport SE TrimThe Sport SE variants of the S and GTS are undoubtably the biggest news for 2013. These limited edition Vespa’s claim to amplify Vespa’s sport spirit using a minimal aesthetic and high performance. While ‘high performance’ might be a bit of a stretch (there’s no performance tweaks at all), Vespa has created a tasteful aesthetic.

The Satin black paint (and wheels) look great with the red (shock coils) and white (seat piping) accents. The ribbed seat adds a sporty element too. While the checkered (S 50/150) or ‘Super’ (GTS) graphics on the flanks might not have been necessary, they are the most obvious identifier of these limited edition models.

Pricing for the Super SE adds $100 (S 50/150) or $200 (GTS) to the price, which is quite reasonable for even just the seat alone.